Start a strawberry field with a packet of seeds. Planting strawberries with seeds? Yes, it's possible! Strawberry fields usually start with young plants or dormant root tubers, but you can also plant pleasant berries from seeds. Plants initiated by seeds usually produce smaller fruits than hybrid varieties provided solely as plants. For only a small fraction of the cost of a hybrid strawberry, you can purchase a package of seeds and plant a thick berry, which can yield a large number of sweet and juicy fruits. Putting aside cost savings, planting your own strawberries with seeds is very interesting. All of this started by observing tiny leaves emerging from the soil and rapidly reproducing.The following content also has some reference value for raised garden beds.
Strawberries made from seeds are usually close relatives of alpine strawberries or alpine strawberries. These plants produce small berries (about an inch long) in spring and summer. When the berries are ripe, the strong perfume floats in the garden, reminding people of strawberry jam. However, the number of berries produced per plant of alpine strawberries is very small; Expecting a bag of seeds to produce fresh berries, but not enough to make jam.
The fruits purchased at the grocery store, as well as many plant varieties in the garden center, are all hybrid strawberries. Hybrid berries are produced by plant breeders after years of hybridization and cultivation. Researchers select hybrids based on the size and quality of the fruit, as well as the ease of growth. Hybrid strawberries cannot be reliably propagated through seeds. They grow from transplantation.
Here is how to pick or plant the sweetest strawberries
How to plant strawberries with seeds
Strawberry seeds are very small. This small seed requires special care when sowing. Follow these 5 steps to plant strawberries from seeds, get off to a good start, and establish a productive berry field.
- Start seeds indoors
If planting is started indoors about 8 weeks before the last frost, alpine strawberries will bear fruit in the first summer after planting. Plant tiny seeds in a flat or shallow container filled with a fine seed starting mixture. Sprinkle the seeds on the starting mixture. Almost no soil covering the seeds; They need light to sprout. Spray the soil every day to keep it moist, but not wet. Be careful not to water too much; Excessive water can disrupt seeds, pushing them into the soil and preventing them from sprouting.
Provide a strong light source above the sowing plane. Planting or store lights are located approximately 6 inches above the apartment to aid in seed germination. Maintain a moderate air temperature around the apartment. Strawberry seeds germinate at the best temperature between 65 and 70 years old Alpine strawberries can also be sown directly in the garden after the last frost.
- Let the seeds germinate
Strawberry seeds germinate slowly. It is expected to take at least 14 to 45 days before tiny leaves can emerge from the soil. Continue spraying the soil, do not let it dry, and provide sufficient light while waiting. The long germination time increases the importance of sowing at least 8 weeks before the last frost in spring to ensure that the berries are produced in the first year.
- Prepare seedlings to be planted
By slowly moving, it helps berry seedlings transition from continuously warm indoor growth conditions to more unpredictable outdoor weather. When a seedling has multiple leaves and is at least 3 inches tall, adapt it to outdoor growth conditions by placing it outdoors for a few hours every day and bringing it indoors at night. After a week or so of outdoor adaptation, the seedlings can be planted in the garden.
- Planting in landscape beds or containers
Alpine strawberries are slow growing edge plants. Plant them on the boundaries of perennial plants or in front of landscape beds to form a clean edge. Starting from spring, the green leaves of these plants look good until frost and berries are harvested in front of the bed. Alpine strawberries can grow well in various containers. When they receive at least 6 hours of sunlight every day, they will bloom and bear fruits. The more sunlight they receive, the more fruits they will bear.
High mountain strawberries grow in clusters, with a diameter of 6 to 8 inches and a height of approximately 6 inches. Unlike traditional strawberries, they do not produce flow channels, but instead spread to form colonies. Plant transplantation occurs at an interval of about 8 inches, forming a dense ground cover for planting.
- Remember to drink water
Regular moisture is the key to good berry production. Your strawberry plant requires approximately 1 inch of water per week. Use manual watering as needed to replenish rainfall to achieve this amount. Before watering, check the soil moisture. If the top inch is damp, do not water it and check the soil again in a few days. Clay can maintain longer moisture content than rapidly draining sand.
